Just a Vet Tech

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This is my job, plain and simple.  It really touched me that somebody wrote this.  It feels like a very thankless job a lot of them time, but read on to find out why it is worth it.

..Just a Vet Tech

When i arrive this morning to find the kennel attendent has quit without notice, every animal has emitted bodily secretions of one sort or the other, we have two heartworm treatments, an orthopedic surgery, a barium series, four spays, three neuters plus several dogs and cats to bathe and dip before noon.

When the vet is dashing out the door to lunch at noon spouting a schedule of medication, treatment instructions, dosages and reminders to give that cat enema and take another radiograph of that dog at one thirty as the door closes behind him and i realize that i won't be getting a lunch today.

When i take the dog on IV fluids for a walk on Sunday morning, lock the door behind me and then remember that my keys are inside the lab desk.

When I've been sprayed with cat urine and a dog expresses his anal glands on my new scrubs, clients are beginning to wrinkle their noses at me and i realize i have to stop by the store on the way home, or no one, human or not will get dinner at my house.

When I've been clawed, stepped on, body checked, snapped at, yelled at, and the client wants me to be gentle with Princess because she NEVER bit ANYONE before.

When the client argues with every item on the estimate and I am forced to explain that unfortunately veterinary care is not subsidized by the government and that pets do cost money.

When incoming bills far exceed my bank balance and someone calls me "just a technician" and I begin to ask myself why do I do this...

I help breathe life into a newborn kitten.

I feel a little pink tounge gently touch my hand as I change a bandage, and look up to see trusting eyes and hear a thumping tail acknowledge my words of encouragement.

I see clients reunited with pets they thought would never recover.

I see a catheter I placed deliver the fluids and drugs necessary to reverse shock, alleviate pain and save a life.

I am there to advocate for pets and their people at the end of life; I touch a bereaved client shoulder or hand and feel her grief and relief as she realizes somebody understands and she will not be judged.

I can laugh at puppy and kitten antics knowing that I am there to help a client make the best decision for their new kid.

I realize that my powers of observation make all the difference between life and death.

I can teach a client that a cat can live happily indoors, that neutering the dog won't ruin his personality, that "routine" surgery still calls for pain management and that dental care really can improve their pets life.

I realize that I am there, every day, living proof that there is no such thing as "just a technician".

Comments

[jessibean.livejournal.com]

I know from personal experience that the vet techs at my own vet are the most wonderful people in the world. Everyone knows me by name, and even when I just stop in to pick up Wyn's cans, someone always asks me how Wyn is, how the rats are, how Mint is doing - and how Lindsey is, too. They remember everyone's names, and every time I leave they tell me they hope they see me "not too soon!"

I can't even begin to imagine how stressful your job is, but I think you, and most of the vet techs I've met, are the most amazing people in the world. *hugs*

[simpletype.livejournal.com]

That reminds me of the night Dollie died. It was an emergency vet, and we had taken Dollie there before so we knew everybody had been there a long time... but the night she died, they were all on the verge of tears (and some even looked like they cried with us). At many of the other vets we've been to, you hardly even get a smile out of the person, and it's scary how happy some of them just look when they tell you your pet is ill.

I'm very thankful to kind people like you, who care about both the animal and the person, and whoever wrote that. ;~; *hugs*

[(Anonymous)]

You are right. It is a thankless job. I do it too.

I had a lady come in and as on of my co-workers goes in to get information from the lady she ignores her. Her husband asked her why she isn't talking to my co-worker. Her reply "she's just a technician." To days afterwards when we saved her dog from pancreatitis she comes in to get her pet and hugs everyone in the building. (at least those that couldn't get away in time).

It's funny how when someone's pet is in dire trouble and you save them how a person's outlook can change.